Al Ahli Archives - Iran News Daily

Esteghlal Beats Al-Ahli Saudi

reporter 1222 — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 07:36:49 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s Esteghlal cruised into the 2020 AFC Champions League Round of 16 with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Group A leader Al Ahli Saudi FC in Matchday Six on Wednesday.

Head coach Majid Namjoo Motlagh’s men went into the game with the knowledge that only a two-goal margin win would secure their place in the Round of 16.

Al-Ahli advanced to the Round of 16 with six points as the first team and Iraq’s Al-Shorta finished in third place.

The Iranian dominance produced a goal in the 28th minute. Farshid Esmaeili received the ball down the left and fed Ghaedi on the edge of the box. The Esteghlal number 10 drilled a powerful drive that nestled into the bottom corner despite Al Owais’ best efforts to save.

Al-Ahli’s troubles were doubled seven minutes before the break as Ghaedi turned from scorer to creator, sending a cross from the right flank into the far post for Ali Karimi who evaded his marker and headed home Esteghlal’s second.

After the restart, Esteghlal was quick to cement its place in the Round of 16 with a third goal.

Karimi supplied a chipped cross from the edge of the penalty area for Cheick Diabate and the Malian forward guided his header past Al Owais to make it 3-0.

The result means Esteghlal finishes second behind confirmed Group A winner Al-Ahli, goal difference giving the Iranian the advantage over Al-Shorta who is consigned to a narrow group stage exit.

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Namjoo Motlagh Says Esteghlal Ready to Win over Al-Ahli

reporter 1222 — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 07:49:54 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Esteghlal football team coach Majid Namjoo Motlagh said that they are focused to beat Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia.

The Blues face an all-or-nothing encounter against confirmed Group A winner Al-Ahli on Wednesday, needing three points to secure passage to the 2020 AFC Champions League Round of 16.

Six points were enough to secure the top spot in the three-team group for Al-Ahli after Esteghlal and Al-Shorta played out a 1-1 draw on Matchday Five.

The Sunday fixture was Al Shorta’s last, meaning it ended the group stage with five points. Esteghlal, who is bottom with two points, can eclipse the Iraqis should they beat Al-Ahli by a two-goal margin.

A 1-0 win for the Tehran-based side would mean disciplinary record will be the tie breaker between them and Al-Shorta.

“I have to say this is a very important game for us and we have to only think about winning to qualify to the next round,” said Namjoo Motlagh.

“In the previous game, we did not do well in set-pieces and we did not take our chances, but of course those are lessons we learned from that game and will look to show more focus in those two areas in the next game to get the win.”

“We need to be calm and only focus on getting the three points. Al-Ahli is a good and respectable team, but we are determined to win and go to the Round of 16 as representative of Iran,” he added.

“We will not look at our opponents and their position in the group being already qualified, we only focus on our situation that we need the three points to qualify to the next round. This will be our priority,” Namjoo Motlagh concluded.

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Omid Ebrahimi May Returm to Al Ahli

reporter 1222 — Tue, 19 May 2020 10:10:04 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian international midfielder Omid Ebrahimi is close to returning to Al Ahli club after the second season on loan in the Belgian club Eupen, Staddoha reported.

Ebrahimi’s contract with Eupen runs at the end of the season.

The Qatari club is going to part company with Australian defender Shane Lowry and wants to bring back Ebrahimi to Doha.

Ebrahimi joined Al Ahli in July 2018 but was loaned to Belgian top-flight team Eupen a year later.

He played 21 matches for Al Ahli and scored four goals for the team in the 2018-19 season.

The post Omid Ebrahimi May Returm to Al Ahli appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Korean Ko Hyung-jin to Officiate Al Ahli v Esteghlal

reporter 1222 — Sat, 15 Feb 2020 17:54:38 +0000

Korean Ko Hyung-jin to Officiate Al Ahli v Esteghlal

According To Iran News, South Korean referee Ko Hyung-jin has been appointed to officiate the match between Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia and Iran’s Esteghlal.

He will be assisted by his countrymen Park Sang-Jun, Yoon Kwang-yeol.

The match has been scheduled for Monday at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City.

Esteghlal started its campaign with a 1-1 draw against Al Shorta of Iraq in Group A of the AFC Champions League last week.

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Branko Ivankovic on his way out of Persepolis, Afshin Ghotbi on radar

reporter 1222 — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 06:01:33 +0000

Ivankovic built the most decorated resume of any coach in Persepolis history. Under leadership of him, Persepolis won three successive Iran Professional League. The Reds, also won one Hazfi Cup and three Super Cups.

Furthermore, Persepolis reached the AFC Champions League final for the first time ever, where they lost to Japanese outfit Kashima Antlers 2-0 on aggregate.

Now, the local media reported that the 65-year-old coach has penned a two-year contract with Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia.

Ivankovic is leaving Persepolis at the peak of his career but the fans are protesting the club’s officials to let him go and it has angered them.

To regain domestic supremacy next season will be very tough for Persepolis since their opponents have already started their readiness but they should find a new coach from now on.

Afshin Ghotbi is the best possible option for Persepolis since the ex-Iran coach has already won a title with Persepolis in 2008 which is highly regarded as one of the most inspirational moments in the team’s history. Ghotbi inspired the Reds to win the league title after six years despite six-point deduction imposed by FIFA for non-payment of a former player.

Ghotbi, who was greeted as ‘Afshin the Emperor’, will definitely have a difficult task in Persepolis because he faces a tough task in living up to fans’ expectations.

Ghotbi is without a team after parting company with Foolad, where he failed to make a splash in the Ahvaz based football club, however, he is a favorite candidate for the fans.

Ivankovic has given everything to Persepolis and has nothing left but it’s not the right time to announce his departure since there’s not much time left for the club.

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ACL MD 4: Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli 2 – 1 Persepolis of Iran

reporter 1222 — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 05:45:24 +0000

The two teams came into the match occupying the last two places in the group, with Persepolis sitting third with four points after its 2-0 win against Al Ahli on Matchday Three left the Saudis bottom of the group with three points.

It took half an hour for the first goal of the game to arrive, and it was Al Somah who registered it for the home team.

Ghareeb skipped past two defenders and looked to round Persepolis keeper Alireza Beiranvand who brought him down inside the box, and the referee awarded a penalty which Al Somah emphatically drove home for his third goal of the campaign.

Al Somah came close to doubling his tally 10 minutes after the restart as Nooh Al Mousa’s free-kick hit the wall and fell for the Syrian who controlled and hit the ball on the half-volley, forcing Beiranvand into a reflex save at the top corner.

Beiranvand was left helpless to rescue in the 83rd minutes after Al Soma curled a free-kick from the edge of the box into the top corner to add the second goal for Al Ahli and for himself on the night.

As he did in the first match, defender Shojae Khalilzadeh showed his eye for goal, heading home Soroush Rafiei’s cross in added time. His goal this time was merely a consolation for Persepolis as the final whistle confirmed a 2-1 win for the Saudis.

Al Sadd od Qatar defeated Pakhtakor 2-1 in another match group.

Al Sadd tops Group D with this victory, which takes its tally to seven points. Meanwhile, Pakhtakor freezes at five points, slipping down to third place, with Al Ahli now moving to second with six points and Persepolis rounding the group off with four points at the bottom.

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